Place of birth Manresa, Spain 1996–1999 Espanyol Name David de Height 1.78 m | Current team Retired Years Team Role Footballer Weight 75 kg | |
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Full name David Garcia de la Cruz Date of birth (1981-01-16) 16 January 1981 (age 34) | ||
David García de la Cruz ([daˈβið ɣarˈθi.a ðe la ˈkɾuθ]; born 16 January 1981) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a left back.
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He spent most of his professional career with Espanyol, appearing in 243 competitive games over the course of 12 La Liga seasons and winning two Copa del Rey trophies.
Club career
Born in Manresa, Barcelona, Catalonia, García was a product of RCD Espanyol's youth system, and made his La Liga debut on 8 January 2000 in a 0–0 home draw against Deportivo de La Coruña, becoming a regular fixture in the 2001–02 season and also being named second team captain after Raúl Tamudo, the only player to have been on Espanyol's books for longer; on 23 March 2003 he scored the first of only two competitive goals during his career, helping to a 1–1 draw at Valencia CF.
In early 2007, García renewed his link to the Pericos for a further two seasons, stating about the deal: "I want to finish my career here. I can't imagine myself wearing any other shirt." During that campaign, however, he only appeared in 16 games overall (nine in the league, adding seven in the club's runner-up run in the UEFA Cup) mainly due to a knee injury.
In 2008–09, García played in just 14 league matches as he again dealt with physical ailments, but was instrumental in the final stretch, appearing in seven complete contests out of the last ten – of which Espanyol won eight. On 12 June 2009 he extended his contract for two additional years, featuring in 38 combined games during that timespan.
On 4 August 2011, García moved to Segunda División club Girona FC. He was first-choice for the vast majority of his tenure, retiring at the age of 34.